Coffee for the Troops

MOOSIC, Pa. -- Last month, while leading up to Veterans Day, Dunkin' Donuts locations asked customers to chip in for some coffee for veterans and servicemembers overseas.

On Friday, all that coffee -- two tons of it -- was shipped out just in time for Christmas.

Many of Dunkin' Donuts' donuts are made in a warehouse in Moosic. On Friday, Dunkin' employees made care packages for veterans and active service members.

It's a project started by one Dunkin' location in Lackawanna County a few years ago. It's now grown a few hundred times over.

"In one of my locations, I had a crew member who had a deployed husband, and we tried to do something to show him some respect. We just wrote little stickers on the bag and collected them. I think at the time we collected maybe two to four cases of coffee," said Jerry Fives, Dunkin' Donuts franchisee.

Now it's two tons worth of coffee. Half was donated by the store owners. The other half was donated by Dunkin' customers throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania last month.

"They were donating the pounds of coffee, which cost $8.99, So it's no small feat, or donation, on their part, so we're so appreciative. Our franchisees matched every donation. At the end of the day, we raised 4,000 pounds of coffee in just six and a half days," Jamie Saam said.

Each Dunkin' customer who donated a pound of coffee could also write a personalized note that will go to a service member from our area who is currently overseas.

"I know for a fact the servicemembers that we send these things to, they love the cards. They love that people are thinking of them. They love that people remember them," said Kate McCloud, Liberty U.S.O.

The U.S.O. will ship the coffee overseas in time for Christmas. The rest will go to veterans in need throughout our area.

"We plan on giving veterans coffee. Each family is going to get coffee as well, through our community outreach program, we distribute food to veterans who are struggling, struggling to make ends meet. I'm sure they'll appreciate the Dunkin' Donuts coffee," said Michelle Goyette, The Valor Clinic Foundation.